Hammond XK5 Pipe Organ Sounds

Hammond XK5 Pipe Organ Introduction

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The Hammond XK5 organ is the premier digital organ for rock, jazz, and even classical music use. In its double-manual configuration, this becomes a highly versatile instrument. Along with classic Hammond organ emulation, including modeled A-100, B3, and C3 Hammond models, the Hammond XK5 includes emulations of Vox and Farfisa organs. And classical music players will appreciate a dedicated pipe organ sound bank.

The organ’s multi-contact keyboard brings the experience of playing the Hammond organ as close as ever in the digital era to the original tonewheel instruments.

The pipe organ division on the Hammond XK5 provides the equivalent of 32 ranks of pipe organ voices. That does not mean there are 32 individual stops or unique sounds, as some of the ranks are combined in a single stop, as in the Mixtures.

Each manual has nine stop options and two unique sound combinations for the bass section. The sound options selected by Hammond, given the limitation of mapping them to the nine-drawbar for manuals and two-drawbars for bass pedals, are lovely. I compared their choices to a few other combo organs of other manufacturers. As a church organist who has played pipe organs weekly for decades, I think Hammond is the winner regarding the best pipe organ divisions offered on this type of organ.

Lower Manual Pipe Organ Sounds on the Hammond XK5

Principal 16’
Principal 8’
Melodia 8’
Rohr Flute 8’
Prestant 4’
Flute 4’
Super Octave 2’
Mixture IV
Trompette 8’

Upper Manual Pipe Organ Sounds on the Hammond XK5

Bourdon 16’
Open Diapason 8’
Gedeckt 8’
Viole Celeste II
Octave 4’
Flauto Dolce 4’
Flute 2’
Mixture III
Hautbois 8’

Bass Pedal Pipe Organ Sounds on the Hammond XK5

Sub Bass 16’ + Gedeckt 8’
Principal Chorus + Mixture IV

Editing Pipe Organ Sounds on the Hammond XK5

As offered out of the box on the Hammond XK5, the pipe organ voices are very serviceable. Most are top-notch, especially compared to contemporary workstations’ minimal pipe organ sounds.

Hammond offers the option to vary the sounds to some degree.

Level: The volume of each pipe (sound) is adjustable

Detune: The pitch of each pipe can be slightly modified with the detune setting per pipe

Chiff: the “Chiff” noise at the beginning of notes can be adjusted in the following increments:

Off: No chiff noise sound
Soft: A subtle chiff noise is present
Mid: A medium level of chiff noise is introduced
Loud: Chiff is at the maximum available on the organ

Note that not every sound includes the chiff possibility. One example is the Hautbois 8’ sound.

Pan Direction: Provides for adjusting the direction of the pipe with settings ranging from pan to the left, through the center, and all the way to the right

Pan Imaging: Sets the arrangement of the pipes

L-R: Pipes sound in the stereo spectrum from left to right according to order of the keys
R-L: Pipes sound in the stereo spectrum in the opposite direction of the order of the keys
PYR: Provides a pyramid shade to the sound – sounds center to sides according to the keys
INV: Provides an inverted pyramid option

Pan Imaging options for the Hammond XK5 organ

Pipe Organ Division Shortcomings on the Hammond XK5

While the pipe organ option on the Hammond XK5 is about as good as you’ll find on a modern keyboard of the combo organ through the workstation/synthesizer variety, I think there are a few shortcomings.

Coupler: There is no coupler function. On a pipe organ, a coupler option on a two-manual instrument typically allows the organist to map the sounds from the upper to the lower manual, providing an even broader sound palette to the lower manual. This option is not available on the Hammond XK5.

Limited Sounds: Most two-manual church organs, and pipe organs, provide more sound options than are offered on the Hammond XK5. Still, with the limitation faced by Hammond on this instrument in mapping pipe organ sounds to only nine drawbars per manual, I think their choices of sounds used are superb. Yes, it would be nice to have some more options, but there isn’t anything glaring lacking. More is better, and some organists may be disappointed in the lack of specific mutations, as one example that is not offered with the Hammond XK5 pipe organ division.

Limited Bass Sound Options: This is one of the significant limitations of the instrument for me. The Hammond XK5 only provides two unique sound options for the bass pedals. The first sound (Sub Bass 16’ + Gedeckt 8’) provides a deep bass sound. The second bass pedal sound (Principal Chorus + Mixture IV) is pitched higher. It would have been nice to have a broader palette of sounds for the bass and even a coupler option. The Hammond XK5 only provides a single deep bass sound option in the pipe organ division.

Pedalboard Selection and Implications

An organist attracted to the Hammond XK5 due to its pipe organ division option will likely want a version of the Hammond XK5 with a pedalboard. And this is where things get a bit interesting.

The easy option is to purchase the 25-note pedalboard offered by Hammond – the XPK 250 B-3 style pedalboard.

Pros for the XPK 250 B-3 pedalboard.

It is easily integrated with the Hammond XK5. This pedalboard will also fit under keyboard/organ stands offered for the Hammond XK5 organ.

Cons for the XPK 250 B-3 pedalboard.

The spacing of the pedals does not match that of church and pipe organs. Also, the lack of a full compass (32 notes) doesn’t allow for playing the broader classical organ repertoire on the Hammond XK5.

Another option is to purchase a 32-note pedalboard from another manufacturer – this is the choice I made, buying one from Classic Midiworks.

Pros of a 32-note pedalboard:

Allows for a standard AGO 32-note pedalboard standard to play the broad classical music repertoire.

Cons of a 32-note pedalboard.

It won’t fit under stands available for the Hammond XK5, so a different type of stand will be needed.

Integration with the Hammond XK5 can be tricky. For example, third-party swell pedals can be difficult (if possible) to integrate with the XK5.

It provides a non-standard pedal option for organists who also use the B3 section of the organ. You will need a classical-style church organ bench wide enough to span the width of a 32-note pedalboard.

Dual Manuals for Pipe Organ Repertoire

A two-manual organ such as the Hammond XK5, with the added XLK-5 lower manual, allows for playing various traditional church and pipe organ repertoire. While many pieces benefit from third, fourth, or even fifth keyboard manuals, you can get by for quite a lot of music on a two-manual instrument.

The availability of a pipe-organ division with the Hammond XK5 expands the utility of this instrument beyond the standard Hammond B3 rock and jazz genres.

Click to check pricing for Hammond XLK-5 Lower Manual

Video Demos

Overview of the pipe organ sounds of the Hammond XK5

A discussion about the pipe organ menu options for the Hammond XK5 organ.

Example of a classical piece played with the pipe organ sounds of the Hammond XK5

Is The Hammond XK5 A Good Instrument?

The Hammond XK5 is a fantastic instrument. As far as a modern emulation of the classic Hammond B3 organ, no other instrument comes close. The integration of the multi-contact keyboard, in particular, provides a high level of authenticity.

Further, the availability of an expanded organ sound palette that includes Vox, Farfisa, and Pipe Organ sounds gives the organist a rich array of sounds.

Click to check pricing for Hammond XK5

Who Can Benefit From Hammond Pipe Organ Sounds?

Church organists

Classical organists

Progressive rock organists

Any keyboard player looking to add a unique element into their sound palette

Hammond XK5 Pipe Organ Sounds

Hammond XK5 Pipe Organ Introduction